Lejos de aquí

"Lejos De Aquí" is a song by Chilean pop rock band Kudai released on April 1, 2008, as the first single from their third studio album, Nadha.^[1] The song was written by Koko Stambuk and co-written by Kudai. Produced by Carlos Lara, it features racy lyrics backed with breathy vocals and uptempo beats. Lyrically, it deals with global warming and its future consequences.^[2]

"Lejos de aquí"
Single by Kudai
from the album Nadha
Released	April 1, 2008
Recorded	2007
Genre	Pop rock · synth-pop
Length	4:17 (Album Version) 3:38 (Radio Version)
Label	Capitol · EMI Latin
Songwriter(s)	Koko Stambuk · Kudai
Producer(s)	Koko Stambuk
Kudai singles chronology
"Tú" (2007) "Lejos de aquí" (2008) "Nada Es Igual" (2008)
Music videos
"Lejos De Aquí" (Video Oficial) on YouTube
"Lejos De Aquí" (Alternative Version) on YouTube

Upon its released, "Lejos De Aquí" received positive critical reviews, and debuted at number third on the Mexican selling singles.^[3] Kudai performed the song live with the Mexican band Moderatto on Los Premios MTV Latinoamérica 2008 in October, 2008.

In June 2009, "Lejos de Aquí" received an award in Chile for "fostering concern for environmental issues and spreading awareness of the impacts of global warming through music".^[4]

Composition

"Lejos De Aquí" was composed by Koko Stambuk and Kudai, and was recorded at Estudios 19 in Mexico City in late 2007. It was produced by Stambuk and Carlos Lara. Pablo Holman revealed that it is a theme song to make "a wake-up call so that we become aware of the natural resources that we still have at hand, but that in the future we could lose because of our unconsciousness," he said.^[5]

Music video

Barbara singing in the music video.

The accompanying music video was directed by Juan Pablo Olivares, and filmed in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile,.^[6] It contains a story of a protection the world of the Global warming, and was premiered on MTV Latin America on April 7, 2008,^[7] with an audience of 50 thousand people. The members of Kudai show a futuristic and minimalist style "more defined, more robotic". Pablo Holman looks like an android; Thomas Cañas was stylized in such a way he looks like a general from the future "with a stronger image, but very human"; Bárbara Sepúlveda looks her same image as always but sweeter, and Gabriela Villalba looks more feminine and stronger.^[2]

Music video is very similar to "What I've Done" by Linkin Park, explores the many ironies of humanity and its ill effects on the earth and the environment. It juxtaposes various pieces of footage: a large, well-fed man eating fast food, a woman measuring her waist and a man who is so malnourished that his ribcage is visible through his skin; African Americans being hosed down and the Ku-Klux-Klan; nuclear explosions, children waving American flags, a Middle Eastern child holding an AK-47, clips of oil tankers torn in half and birds covered in an oil slick.

A second version of the video clip was released, showing the World Trade Center towers collapsing on the 9/11 attack.

Track listing and formats

• Mexican CD Single^[8]

1. "Lejos De Aquí" (Radio Version) – 3:38
2. "Lejos De Aquí" (Album Version) – 4:17

• Tecktonik Remix

1. "Lejos De Aquí" (Tecktonik Remix)  – 4:13

Charts

Chart (2008)	Peak position
Mexico (Ritmoson Latino)[9]	2
Venezuela Top Latino (Record Report)[10]	13

References

1. Rodríguez, Jocelin (16 March 2008). "Kudai, en contra del calentamiento" (in Spanish). Hoy Digital. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
2. "Nadha de Kudai, agrupación chilena tiene nuevo disco y look" (in Spanish). El Universo. 25 May 2008. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
3. "Kudai debuta en tercer lugar con "Lejos de aquí"" (in Spanish). Hoy Digital. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
4. "Reconocen labor ecológica de Kudai". La Tercera (in Spanish). 30 June 2009. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
5. "Kudai viaja a Estados Unidos para iniciar gira". El Universo (in Spanish). 23 April 2008. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
6. "Kudai se preocupa por la ecología". La Tercera. 15 April 2008. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
7. "Kudai, artista del mes". Retrieved 7 November 2022.
8. Lejos De Aquí (Mexican CD Single) (Mexican CD Single liner notes). Kudai. EMI Music Mexico. 2008. 15486-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
9. "Sigue Maná en primer lugar de popularidad con "Si no te hubieras ido"". Notimex. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
10. "Record Report Top Latino". Record Report. 12 October 2008. Archived from the original on 12 October 2008. Retrieved 15 December 2020.